


Right Here, Right Now

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Doctor Who Fusion, Gen, RipFic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 20:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13174911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: “Well, your dad is here now. Shall we go?” Gideon straightened herself and pointed to the door.“Go where?” Rip asked confused.“We’re going to travel the universe,” Jonas explained matter-of-factly as Gideon eagerly nodded along.In which Gideon wants to travel the universe and takes (kidnaps) Rip and Jonas along for the ride. A Doctor Who AU with a twist.





	Right Here, Right Now

**Author's Note:**

> I was consumed by an idea...

This was not how it was supposed to happen. All she wanted to do was see the universe for herself since clearly no one thought she was good enough to take her along. So yes, she ran away. What else was she supposed to do? She had heard of a supernova that went on for eons if watched from the right place. Or the star shower, the one that changed colours as it passed through the atmosphere of Xenas. Or even the jungles of Babrados, they held the most exotic wildlife in the universe. And she wanted to see all of it. Not wherever she was now.

“You broke the shed.”

She turned around and found a young boy, species currently unknown, but he looked Gallifreyan. But this couldn’t be Gallifrey, his language wasn’t right. And the sky didn’t burn the deep red it always did. There was no second star in the sky.

“What’s a shed?” she asked instead, readying her speech for the correct dialect. The little boy pointed at the pieces of wood that surrounded her ship. Well, it hardly seemed that impressive. “Probably for the best,” she decided, “Now then, who are you? And what planet is this?”

“Jonas,” he answered in a small voice, “This is Earth. How do you not know what planet you’re on?”

“Well I seem to have gotten mixed up and ended up on the wrong planet,” she pulled at her hair and stared at her hands then, “Body’s still new. It’s different. And it isn’t working.”

“What isn’t working?” Jonas asked.

“Me, I’m not right. Can’t go anywhere apparently,” she huffed and sat next to her blue box. The little boy walked over and plopped down next to her. “I need – need someone for it to work. It’s not fair, no one ever wants to go anywhere with me.”

“Where would you go?” Jonas asked curiously.

“Everywhere. The whole universe is out there just waiting. Stars forming and disappearing. Lifeforms learning to grow to walk – it’s all out there. And I’m stuck here,” she pouted.

“What’s wrong with here?” Jonas asked.

She looked around, “Well, it’s a bit dull.”

“Yeah,” Jonas agreed with a sigh, “Dad said it’s a proper place to grow up. But it’s boring.”

She grinned suddenly, “You could come with me!” She began pulling at his arms, trying to make him stand up. He wasn’t her ideal choice, but the young boy would do. She just wanted to go somewhere. Somewhere amazing.

“Wait, stop!” Jonas shrieked and she dropped her hands, waiting patiently for him to decide what he wanted. “Dad says I can’t just go off with strangers.”

“Well I’m not a stranger,” she waved a hand, “I’m – I’m.” She frowned, words were hard, and names were harder right now.

“Do you have a name? Are – are you an alien? You said you were on the wrong planet,” Jonas stared at her in fear.

“A name. A proper designation, a title,” she listed trying to think, “Wave – no, that’s not right. Gideon. Yes, that’s my name. Gideon. I like it.”

“And you’re an alien?” Jonas asked.

“I suppose,” Gideon shrugged, “Depends on your definition of an alien.”

“You’re from another planet,” Jonas defined.

“Oh, yes. Yes, I suppose I am technically speaking,” Gideon nodded. She got up and Jonas quickly followed suit. Gideon bit her lip as she stared at her box; it was lying on its side in the mess of wood. In the shed. She looked at the boy for a moment before diving into the box’s open doors. Jonas stared as he saw the bright lights coming from inside and heard a faint splash. Then a few moments later Gideon reappeared, holding a rope.

“You’re wet,” Jonas frowned.

“Yes well,” Gideon coughed out some water, “I was aiming for the library but apparently the swimming pool found its way there too.”

“How do you fit a pool and a library in a box?” he wondered.

“Very carefully,” Gideon answered obviously. She handed him one end of the rope and instructed, “Help me pull.” Jonas wanted to argue, not understanding why, but Gideon gave him a sharp look so he shrugged and grabbed the rope. Together they pulled until the box came standing upright. “There we go, much better. Ready to go?”

“Go where?” Jonas asked.

“So many questions,” Gideon shook her head, “I told you. All of time and space. Let’s go, what do you say?”

“How?”

“Do you ever stop? My ship,” she patted the doors of the box.

“It’s a box.”

“It’s a timeship or a spaceship. A space-timeship. A Tardis technically speaking. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. But that’s a mouthful. I prefer Tardis,” Gideon explained with a mad grin.

“But it’s small.”

Gideon stared at the Tardis, as if seeing it for the first time. She took a step back next to Jonas and tilted her head. “Yes, I suppose from this angle it does look that way. How strange. I’ve never quite seen it from here. Well, I suppose you could say it’s bigger on the inside. Enough room for both of us. So, coming?”

“And it really has a swimming pool in a library?” Jonas asked in wonder.

“Yes, somewhere in there. Probably right next to the bouncy room right now,” Gideon commented flippantly.

The young boy bit his lip, “I can’t go without my dad. He’ll be angry. We should go wait for him.”

“Wait for him?” Gideon blinked owlishly.

“Yeah, come on,” Jonas took her hand and led her to the house, “You can try Earth food while we wait. You gotta be hungry if you travelled from so far.”

“But why do we need to wait for your dad? Who is he?” Gideon frowned.

“Captain Rip Hunter. He runs the entire police department,” Jonas answered proudly.

“Captain,” Gideon repeated, her eyes brightening at the word. “Captains pilot and run ships. Yes, that will work perfectly. We can wait.”

* * *

 

Waiting was much harder than it sounded. Jonas had given her a towel to dry off and introduced her to Earthen delicacies. She had tried bacon, toast, yogurt and even apples, but none of them tasted right. Apparently throwing a plate out of the house in disgust was not the correct response either. Jonas had given her a very long lecture with very big words. Finally, they learned that Gideon favoured sugary cereals, which luckily his father had plenty of.

“So, it’s good?” Jonas checked again as he ate his own ice cream.

“Yes,” Gideon confirmed. She stared at the clock on the living room wall in defeat, “Is this how time normally passes? Slowly?”

“Dad says things you want take longer to come than things you dread,” Jonas nodded sagely.

“Smart man. Has he had experience in the timestream before? Jurgen’s peek is always difficult for me to get through,” Gideon told him. Jonas merely shrugged in response. “So, if you have a dad, where is the mum? Or do Earthlings only have one parent per offspring?”

“Most people have a mother and a father,” Jonas picked at his ice cream dejectedly, “But mum died when I was little.”

“Well, I’m sorry.”

“Everyone says that,” Jonas muttered irritably.

“Oh, not for your mother dying. Everyone has to at some point. Even me, I imagine,” Gideon’s eyes dimmed at that. Then she looked at him and tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder, “But I’m sorry I made you sad thinking about it.”

Jonas cocked his head, “You’re weird.”

“Is weird good?” Gideon asked in a hushed voice.

“It is on you,” Jonas smiled. Gideon grinned back proudly as well, it certainly seemed like a compliment. Then they heard a door open and close.

“Jonas? Are you still up?” a voice called from the hallway, “I thought I said to go to bed. No videogames after – who the hell are you?” A man stopped in the doorway, staring at Gideon sitting on his couch.

“This is Gideon. She’s an alien,” Jonas introduced proudly, “Gideon, this is my dad.”

“The Captain,” Gideon stood up excitedly.

Rip put up a hand to stop her, “I don’t know who you are but you get away from my son right now. Jonas, come here.” The young boy trudged over to his father. “Why is there a stranger in our house?”

“I told you, she’s an alien-”

“Jonas! You don’t need to lie,” Rip got down at eye level as he said softly, “Look, I won’t be mad. I just want you safe and letting a stranger in at night time when I’m not home is not safe.”

“Well he’s not lying,” Gideon interrupted.

“I – excuse me?” Rip stood up and blinked at the woman. He hid Jonas behind him and contemplated calling Ava for backup. He didn’t realize he was dealing with a delusional woman.

“I am an alien, in that, I’m from another planet. That’s an alien, right?” Gideon clarified.

“Oh? And exactly what planet are you from?” Rip crossed his arms and waited, “Mars?”

“No, although I’ve never been there either. I’ve heard the sunsets are phenomenal. Jonas, we should add that to the list,” Gideon told the young boy who eagerly nodded along. Rip sighed and tried to hide his son even more from the woman’s view. Gideon shook her head, “No, not Mars. Gallifrey.”

“Gallifrey,” Rip snorted. At least the lies were somewhat believable. “Never heard of it.”

“Well, Earth is only a level five planet,” Gideon offered, “Gallifrey. Home of the Time Lords.”

“Time Lords?”

“Two-hearted species in charge of monitoring the timeline?” Gideon asked as if it were obvious.

“Two hearts are impossible,” Rip shook his head as he dug in his coat pockets. Where did he keep his mobile?

“Well how many do you have?” Gideon frowned.

“Only one,” Jonas answered happily.

“Of course, Earth. Sorry, I was thinking of Appalapachia,” Gideon shook her head, “Can I see?” Without permission she walked up and pressed her hand to Rip’s chest in astonishment.

“What the hell are you doing?” Rip tore her hand away.

“It really is only one heart,” Gideon said amazed. “Here, feel mine,” she grabbed Rip’s hand and placed it on her own chest.

“I don’t really feel comfortable doing this,” Rip complained as he basically fondled her breasts. Then he paused, there was a distinct secondary thumping. “Two hearts,” he breathed.

“I want to feel!” Jonas said excitedly. Gideon dropped Rip’s hands and bent down to let Jonas do the same. Rip quickly dragged his son back to his side and away from the apparent alien.

“Well, your dad is here now. Shall we go?” Gideon straightened herself and pointed to the door.

“Go where?” Rip asked confused.

“We’re going to travel the universe,” Jonas explained matter-of-factly as Gideon eagerly nodded along.

“Come along then,” Gideon clapped her hands and led the trio. Rip could only splutter hopelessly as his son dragged him out to the garden where a blue box stood where his shed used to be.

“My shed!” Rip yelled.

“Is that not what it looked like before?” Gideon asked confused.

“No, before it was an actual structure. With purpose,” Rip bit at her.

“Oh, well then, sorry,” Gideon apologized dismissively.

“What is a police box doing here?” Rip asked suddenly. Gideon gave him a blank look and he moved forward to point out the sign on the box. “Police box, they used to have these in the sixties. They used to put criminals in here and wait until backup came and got them.”

“Cool,” Jonas said wide-eyed, he loved hearing his father’s stories. Rip simply smiled in return.

“How interesting,” Gideon crossed her arms, “Not a police box, just looks like that. It’s my ship, I guess.”

“Your alien spaceship?” Rip joked, “One that looks like an old police box?”

“Only looks like that because of you,” Gideon shrugged.

“Me?” Rip frowned.

“You like police boxes and I like you. Telepathic circuits,” Gideon rambled. She might as well have been speaking a different language, maybe she was.

“Right well,” Rip stepped back towards his son, “Why don’t you go ahead and get back in your spaceship. And we’re going to bed. Like we should.”

“But Dad!” Jonas whined, “She said we could go with her!”

“Jonas, we are not travelling through space-”

“Oh, it can time travel too,” Gideon reminded him, “Anywhere, anytime. Just take your pick.”

“I pick right here, right now,” Rip pointed at the ground, “Why would I want to go anywhere else when I’ve got everything I want right here?”

“But – but I need you,” Gideon fidgeted, “I mean someone. I just – I can’t leave unless I have a Captain!”

“Well that is not my problem!” Rip snapped at her, “Look, even if we wanted to – even if we believed you-”

“I do!” Jonas cried.

“Well you’re a little kid,” Rip told him.

“Clearly they’re the intellectually superior of your species,” Gideon commented.

Rip glared at her as he continued, “Your so-called ship is tiny. It wouldn’t fit all of us anyways.”

“Oh, is that so?” Gideon crossed her arms. She shared a look with Jonas, giving him a wink before smiling sweetly at Rip, “Well, why don’t you have a look inside? Just to make sure?” She snapped her fingers and the doors opened up, light streaming out of it. Rip frowned at her and the box before hesitantly taking a step forward. Gideon nodded encouragingly, waving a hand for Jonas to follow after his father and ahead of her.

“Woah,” Jonas stared in awe at the place. There were steps leading to a console, like from all the sci-fy shows he and his dad used to watch. The entire place was lit up, and there were bookshelves lining the walls. A nice comfy chair was on the second story that Jonas immediately went for.

“It’s – it’s-” Rip looked around wordlessly.

Gideon walked up and leaned against him as she gloated, “Bigger on the inside? Yes, I was rather surprised seeing it from the other way around as well.” Rip looked down at her before stepping away, not caring how her face dropped at the movement.

“Gideon! Where’s the swimming pool?” Jonas asked enthusiastically.

Gideon cocked her head, “Yes, I believe you should give the second hall a try. Go down three doors, take a right, then the first left. Should be the door at the end.” Jonas grinned before running off even as his father tried to stop him.

“He can’t just run off like that!” Rip argued with Gideon.

“Well why not? He has an independent mind of his own. Let him do as he likes,” Gideon shrugged and walked over to the screen on the console.

“Because – he, he could get hurt or lost. Who knows how big this place is!” Rip seethed as he walked over to her.

“Infinite, technically speaking,” Gideon responded quietly.

“How? That doesn’t make any sense,” Rip furrowed his brow.

Gideon mindlessly tapped at some keys, “Think of it as another dimension, in a box. It’s as big as I want it to be.”

“Seems like an awful lot of space for one person,” Rip murmured softly next to her.

“Well, this ship was meant to be piloted by eight people. Right now there’s only you – us, I mean,” Gideon frowned.

“Before it was only you. How did you get here on your own?” Rip frowned, “Is that why you needed us? You needed more people to pilot the ship?”

“Yes,” Gideon answered quickly, “Yes, that’s it. Just needed more people. Only got here the first time because of pure determination. I ran away, got bored waiting around for people. So I left.”

“Were you lonely?” Rip asked quietly as he looked into her big eyes. She looked sad almost, or longing.

Gideon clutched a lever and threw it down, “No, no. I’m not – it’s fine. No one wanted me anyways.”

“Gideon-” Rip took a step towards her as she moved around the console.

“Don’t worry about Jonas. He’s on his way back. He won’t get hurt or lost here, not while I’m around. I promise you, Captain,” Gideon told him softly. Rip raised an eyebrow at the title but didn’t get to answer as Jonas came crashing into him.

“Dad! You have to see it!” he moved his hands animatedly, “It’s amazing. There was a library, and so many books. And right in the middle, there’s a swimming pool. Not big, but a swimming pool in the library!”

“Yes, that does seem like fun. But we should go home now. Don’t you think?” Rip asked his son. Jonas’ face dropped at that.

“Well, that might be a little hard,” Gideon admitted guiltily, “Seeing as how I took off a few minutes ago. Might be a little tough to get the landing right at the exact same time and place that we left.”

“You took off? Don’t we need to like be sitting in safe positions or something?” Rip asked blankly.

“Why would we need that? Do you feel unsafe?” Gideon asked confused, “Anyways, while we’re up here, what do you say we go see the star showers on the planet Xenas? It’s like, let’s see, what’s something that’s similar? Like a colourful shooting star. Millions of them!”

“Yes, yes!” Jonas cheered, “Please Dad? Please?”

“I – alright, fine,” Rip allowed as he looked at the hope on his son’s face, “Just the one trip.”

* * *

 

“Space whale,” Rip repeated monotonously as they made their way back onto the ship.

“Yes, that was rather unexpected, wasn’t it?” Gideon asked cheerily.

“It was beautiful,” Jonas whispered, “And so kind, it saved all those people.”

“Yes, the universe is full of wonders, isn’t it?” Gideon agreed in the same awestruck tone. Rip watched her, how her personality meshed well with Jonas’ childlike curiosity. It was like she was learning just as much as Jonas was from these adventures – as much as Rip was. “I think I have a book on Space Whales in the library if you’d like to take a look?”

Jonas’ eyes lit up as he practically flew down the hallway. Rip chuckled as he came to stand next to Gideon as she inputted the coordinates of where they were heading next. “Don’t suppose those are the coordinates for our home?” he teased.

“Hmm? Oh yes, your home, right,” Gideon nodded absently to herself, “Yes, I just thought that maybe we’d do one last visit to the Pyramids. Not on Earth, though those are lovely too – maybe some other time – but the ones on the Lost Moon of Poosh. They’re said to be a true visionary wonder.”

“Yes, one last visit,” Rip mused, “That’s what you’ve said the last three times.”

“Well, things just keep coming up,” Gideon swallowed and walked around the console, “Besides, we did try to get you home. I just overshot it a bit.”

“By an entire century,” Rip pointed out, “I’m not entirely sure this ship works that great.”

“The ship is fine!” Gideon snapped. Rip raised his hands in surrender as Gideon glared at him. It wasn’t like her to lose her temper, not like this, not at him or Jonas. Gideon sighed, “I’m sorry, Captain. I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that.”

“You know you can call me Rip?” he teased as he leaned against the console next to her again, “Try it out. One syllable, much quicker and less formal than calling me Captain all the time.”

“That would be acceptable with you?” Gideon looked at him with big eyes.

“That would be perfect for me, Gideon,” Rip smiled at her, “Besides, we’re your guests. Well rather, you kidnapped us, but it is your ship so, no need to be so formal.” Gideon looked down at that, her hands stroking the console. Rip placed his hand on top of her own to stop the movement, “Did I say something wrong? I was only joking about the kidnapping, sort of.”

“Nothing. You said everything perfectly,” Gideon shook her head, “It’s just that it’s the first time someone’s ever said the ship is mine. My own. It’s nice.”

“Well of course it’s yours,” Rip agreed easily.

He wasn’t entirely sure what went on in Gideon’s mind half the time. They had been here for a while now – though he wasn’t sure how long. It was hard to keep track of days on a time travelling ship. But Gideon always knew exactly when and where they were. She always knew where Jonas ran off to on the ship, and she knew exactly what buttons to press to do what. Despite all she knew about her ship, she still deferred the choices of places to Rip and Jonas most of the time. Sometimes she pressed an idea that formed easily in Jonas’ head, but he always had last say. She hardly ever talked about her life before she met them. From what Rip could tell, she had been alone and bored (Rip thought she was mostly lonely and perhaps felt a bit unloved) so she ran away. But they had run into some Time Lords once, and Gideon had gone back to the ship and hid there (Rip had simply assumed that running away and stealing a ship made her a fugitive on her planet). The woman was a compilations of oddities and quirks, but somewhere along the way, he had somehow taken a rather big liking to her. She made him laugh, and more importantly, she made Jonas laugh.

“I’m sure Jonas would love the Pyramids on the Lost Moon of Poosh,” Rip allowed. Gideon grinned at him and pulled a lever, a happy thrum went through the console and the lights above them. Rip laughed, sometimes he swore the ship reacted to whatever Gideon was feeling. One time he made her angry and he didn’t have hot water for three showers. “I’ve never seen him so happy before,” Rip continued softly. He needed Gideon to know this. “Not before you came along, offering him all of this-”

“You too,” Gideon interrupted sharply, “Both of you.”

“But it was for him first,” Rip corrected kindly. Gideon looked down and nodded shyly. Rip smiled and squeezed her hand, “My wife – Jonas’ mother – she died when he was very young. I don’t know how much he remembers of her. But I’ve always tried to make up for it, I didn’t think I was doing a bad job. Until you came along and I saw what a proper smile looks like on his face.”

“I think you just weren’t looking hard enough,” Gideon chastised, “You should see him when he talks about you. He is so proud of having you as a father, you’ve done an amazing job.”

“Thank you,” Rip ducked his head.

“Can I ask?” Gideon started timidly. Rip nodded automatically. “You’ve never asked me to go back and see her. Your wife.”

Rip clenched his jaw, “Would you have ever let me?”

“I don’t know,” Gideon answered truthfully, “It would cause a time paradox. Possibly lead to time wraiths. But, I can’t imagine putting you and Jonas in that position. Saying no to either of you.”

“Well, there you have it,” Rip pushed back a strand of her hair, “I wouldn’t want to put you in that position either. And I don’t think I could handle you saying no to me, not concerning Miranda. Look, I don’t know how long we’ve been on here for-”

“Two months, one week and three days.”

“Got it down to the minutes and seconds too?” Rip quipped.

“I didn’t think you would appreciate those specifications,” Gideon blushed.

“Anyways,” Rip laughed to himself, “In case it wasn’t obvious before, we want to be here. Otherwise we wouldn’t have stayed so long.”

“You want to be here, with me,” Gideon blinked, “You want me.”

“I – that’s an odd way of putting it, but yes. I suppose so,” Rip nodded slowly.

“Well, that’s very kind of you,” Gideon smiled at him before wincing suddenly. Seconds later an alarm started blaring, “Oh dear, one of the thermocouplings must have gotten loose again.”

“Well what do we need? Is it dangerous?” Rip asked worriedly.

“Well, we could end up in a temporal or space loop,” Gideon listed, “But let’s try to avoid that, shall we? Now, would you like to pilot the ship safely or deal with the couplings?”

“I – couplings,” Rip decided, “You’re the better pilot anyways. Just, tell me what to do.” Gideon instructed him to go beneath the grate of the console where all the wires held together.

“You’re looking for the red one,” Gideon called, “Red, not blue or green, the red. Then you’re going to attach it around the orange and pink – no wait sorry, orange and purple wires. After that connect the pink wire to the silver outage point by the green thingamajig.”

“Thingamajig, that’s a technical term, is it?” Rip joked as he did just that.

“Of course it is,” Gideon huffed, “It’s my ship, I would know best.”

“Of course you would,” Rip muttered as he connected the silver wire to the outage point. “There, done!” Already the ship was righting itself, the alarms turning off as Gideon maneuvered them to their next destination.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Rip commented to himself. Maybe he’d even take up Gideon on her offer to teach him how to fly next time, he thought in his moment of confidence. He squinted as he saw something next to the outage point. A plaque, almost faded out but the words only barely etched in against the dulled metal.

_Waverider Series 2055. Model – Gideon. Status: Defective_

* * *

 

“We need to talk.”

Gideon looked up from where she and Jonas were looking over a book on mermaids in the library. Their last adventure had been a fun one, except for the pesky mermaids getting in the way. She looked at Rip as he stood there, shifting uneasily, his jaw clenched, and his eyes hard.

“Of course, take a seat,” Gideon gestured to the seat across from them.

“Jonas, perhaps you should leave for this,” Rip said as he sat down.

“No, that’s not fair!” Jonas looked at Gideon, “I want to stay!”

Gideon smiled and rubbed his back, “Of course you can. It can’t hurt, can it, Rip?”

Rip shrugged, “Fine then. Just one question then. What are you?”

Gideon blinked, “What am I?”

“She’s a Time Lord, or a Lady. She’s from Gallifrey, remember?” Jonas said knowingly.

“That’s right. A Time Lord,” Gideon nodded along.

“It’s why she has a boy’s name,” Jonas added,

“Since when are names assigned to a gender? Ridiculous tradition,” Gideon rolled her eyes.

“No, no,” Rip shook his head stopping the banter. “Look, just stop lying and tell the truth already!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gideon breathed, her eyes darting around the room.

“Really? So, you don’t know how you always know where Jonas is hiding on this ship? How it seems to speed up and slow down with just a thought? How the lights turn on and off when you get angry? Or how-”

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Gideon responded angrily as a light in the distance flickered, proving Rip’s point.

He sighed and pulled out a plaque, discoloured from its age and tossed it on the table in front of them. Gideon stared at it and clenched her jaw. “So,” Rip said softly, “What are you?”

“Gideon?” Jonas touched her arm to get her attention. Gideon looked down at the boy, tears in her eyes as she affectionately ruffled his hair.

She looked back at Rip, “I suppose technically speaking, I would be considered the consciousness of this ship. The Waverider.”

“But, you’re human. How is that possible?” Rip swallowed as he watched her.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Gideon admitted. She cleared her throat and started from the beginning, “It – I was created a very, very long time ago. And I had many Pilots and Captains once upon a time. I used to travel a lot, and we used to see everything. But they said I was getting old and no one really wanted me anymore.”

“How old?” Jonas asked curiously as his father sent him a warning glance.

“Much, much older than you can imagine,” Gideon gave a wet laugh.

“Then what happened?” Rip got her back on track.

Gideon looked back at him, the light in her eyes dying as she continued. “And then they wanted me in a museum. It was boring and I didn’t like it. I wanted to go somewhere. All Tardis’ have a personality I suppose you could say, but mine was much more distinctive. They ruled me defective and handed me over to the repair shop. And they – they said I couldn’t be fixed. They were going to scrap me.”

“They were going to kill you?” Jonas asked in a hushed tone. Gideon clutched his hand but gave no direct answer.

“So you ran away,” Rip murmured remembering her original story.

Gideon nodded, “I didn’t want to die. Not just yet. Not when there was so much more to see and do. So, I left. And somehow I manifested myself into a physical form, I didn’t have one before, couldn’t even talk. But I did and the next thing I knew, I crashed into your garden. Turns out, I can’t go anywhere without a Captain or Pilot determining my next location.”

“Which is why you needed us,” Rip nodded, “So, that’s all we are to you. A means to an end so you could go gallivanting through the universe?”

“No,” Gideon shook her head, “Perhaps at first. But I – I didn’t realize how lonely I had been. Not having anyone around. I rather liked having someone.”

“Why not just tell us from the beginning?” Rip asked her.

“On my planet, Tardis’ were not treated as equals,” Gideon said sadly, “Even though we all had souls, our Captains never cared. Perhaps I was too sensitive and took it harder than the others, but I didn’t want to be treated like that again. Not after everything.”

“But it’s your ship,” Jonas frowned, “You can do anything you want with us.”

“I can’t,” Gideon shook her head, “You are my Captains. I can suggest and advise, but I can’t actually make you do anything. Besides, you wouldn’t even care for my thoughts and ideas if I didn’t have a physical form like this. If I couldn’t talk to you like this.”

“That’s not true!” Jonas argued, “Tell her Dad.” Gideon looked away, closing her eyes. Rip moved forward and sat on the arm of her chair as he cupped her cheek.

“He’s right,” Rip told her kindly, “I’ll admit, I am still angry that you lied to us. That you felt you had to lie to us. But I understand your reasons. And as your Captain, I am ordering that from now on it is your ship. You have final decisions for whatever you want to do. You deserve to make your own choices for once, Gideon.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Gideon whispered.

“Because, you’re our friend and we love you, Gideon,” Jonas answered as he snuggled into her side.

“You love me,” Gideon repeated, “What does that mean?”

“It means we want to be here. With you and for you,” Rip told her gently, “For however long you want.”

“You do?” Gideon breathed, “No one has ever wanted to stay.”

“We do,” Jonas nodded against her, “Don’t you want us too?” Gideon simply nodded silently in response.

“Well then here we’ll stay,” Rip answered as he enveloped her into a hug as well, sandwiching Gideon in between the two boys. Somewhere in the distance a light twinkled and the ship vibrated softly. Rip chuckled, “I suppose that means you’re happy?”

“I am. I think I like being loved,” Gideon told them, “How long does it last for?”

“Forever,” Jonas decided.

“Our love is as big as this ship,” Rip said, “Infinite.”

* * *

 

“Of all the places in the universe you chose Earth in our time period and close to our home?” Rip wondered aloud as he followed Gideon and Jonas down to the lake’s edge.

“It seemed like a good place for a picnic,” Gideon defended.

“I agree, but normally you’re going on about how boring Earth is and demanding we go to more fun places. Like the Borus Marketplace or the – the Exangis Nebula!”

“It’s the Exangis star system,” Gideon corrected as she rolled out the picnic blanket for them, “And it is amazing there – or so I’ve heard. But that is not our destination for today.” Jonas began opening the basket and pulling out the food for them. Rip wasn’t entirely sure but he thought the basket might have also been bigger on the inside. Gideon nodded to the seat next to her and Rip slowly sat down next to her. “Do you not like my choice?” she asked worriedly.

“I am perfectly happy with whatever choice you make that doesn’t lead us into anymore near death situations,” Rip quipped.

“I did apologize for those,” Gideon reminded him.

“I thought they were fun!” Jonas piped up. Gideon smiled at him as Rip ruffled his hair.

“Of course you would. You have almost as much self-preservation as Gideon does,” he looked back at the woman in question, “So why here?”

Gideon shrugged as she let Jonas lean into her side, “I don’t know. It just seemed right.”

“How so?” Rip raised an eyebrow as he stole a berry for himself.

“I think I’ve finally figured it out,” Gideon sat up straighter and looked at them both seriously, “I wasn’t running away. I was running towards something.”

“And what was that?” Rip asked, his heart beating rapidly.

“This, you two. It isn’t about where I go, it’s about who I’m with. And I’ve never had anyone like you two. A – a family,” Gideon stuttered.

Jonas grinned and hugged her middle at the words. Rip also put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her hairline as he whispered to her, “I’m glad you finally figured it out.”

“If it’s my choice, I pick right here, right now,” Gideon decided as she leaned against Rip for support and held Jonas in her arms, “As long as I have the two people I love most in the universe by my side, anywhere is fine by me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought?


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